Electric Performance of ZnO/LSR Composites Prepared by Electric Field Induction Method

Nonlinear conductivity composites have a broad application prospect in high voltage power systems. But the high filling content will be harmful to the overall properties of composites, which limits the application scenarios. To realize the nonlinear conductivity at a low filling threshold, we introduce the electric field induction method to prepare composites in the state of the liquid prepolymer. In this work, we prepared liquid silicone rubber (LSR) samples filled with different contents of tetrapod zinc oxide whiskers (T-ZnOw) and carbon fiber (CF). Samples were prepared with and without 150 V/mm AC electric field assistance. The effect of electric field induction method on reducing the filling threshold of nonlinear materials was verified by measuring the volume conductivity of each sample under different electric fields. Trap parameters of samples were measured by the isothermal surface potential decay (ISPD) and thermal stimulation depolarization current (TSDC) method. The results show that the electric field induction method affects both the conductivity and trap characteristics of composites. This work provides a guideline for the use of electric field in liquid prepolymer to prepare composites with specific electrical properties.